We all have old habits that we want to change. The tendency to repeat the same behavior is part of human psychology. Changing old habits is not an easy endeavor and takes time. However, it can be done with good planning and staying positive in the pursuit of goals to avoid the same mistakes.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Recognizing Mistakes and Understanding Them
Step 1. Don't be afraid to fail
There is wisdom behind mistakes. The key to turning it into a valuable experience is to learn from those mistakes. Carefully evaluate the mistakes you made and find out what reasons prompted you to do them. Thus, mistakes can be turned into vehicles for success.
- Overconfidence can also lead you to miss information and make mistakes.
- Mistakes can be caused by many conditions or situations, such as fatigue or bad habits.
Step 2. Don't believe that you can't avoid mistakes
This kind of attitude will only encourage you to keep doing it and will not learn from the mistake. The brain actually helps us avoid mistakes. There are studies that show that within 0.1 second, the brain will react to anything that produced an error in the past by sending a signal to prevent us from repeating the same mistake.
Step 3. Focus on what you can do right
While it's beneficial to learn from mistakes, you should also focus on everything that goes right. That way, you'll be happy with the effort you put into what went well while trying to fix and avoid mistakes.
- Make a list of all the things you have overcome and all of your successes.
- Write down your most valuable qualities.
- Review this list again for motivation and a reminder of your progress.
Step 4. Start fixing the error
Once you realize a mistake has been made, you can begin to take steps to correct it. You can use different methods, depending on the type of error itself. Consider the following examples as improvement ideas to get you started:
- If you frequently miss billing due dates, try creating a clearly visible reminder.
- Don't be afraid to ask for help. For example, if you want to make soup with your grandmother's recipe but it never works, try asking her advice.
Step 5. Stay focused on improving yourself
It may be tempting to set high goals and try to be the best at them. However, success will be easier to achieve if you focus on improving little by little but steadily, rather than high end results.
Perfectionism can make you worry about goals and progress
Step 6. Practice every day
Part of improving yourself, achieving success, and avoiding old mistakes is enough practice. The key is to practice every day because practice can help hone skills and promote slow but consistent improvement. For example, you could keep trying your grandmother's soup recipe until it works.
- Set aside time each day for exercise.
- Record how long you practice each day.
- If possible, try to slowly increase your exercise time each day.
- If you can't practice a certain thing every day, visualization exercises can help. For example, if you don't have a guitar at the time, you can imagine playing the song you're practicing.
Part 2 of 3: Prepare for Change
Step 1. Decide what behavior you want to change
Before you can avoid mistakes or repeat the same behavior, you must first identify the behavior you want to change. Evaluate the behavior you want to improve.
- Try to find the old habits and behaviors that you think are most important to fix first.
- Don't try to change too many things at once. Focus on a few issues that need attention first.
Step 2. Know what triggers your behavior
Evaluate what situations or events might prompt you to commit the same error or unwanted behavior. There must be a reason behind it. Once found, you'll be able to respond to the same situation differently and avoid it in the future.
- You may find that stress prompts you to smoke or eat unhealthy snacks.
- If you're nervous at social events, you may find that's what prompts you to drink even if you don't normally.
Step 3. Find something to replace the old behavior
If your goal is to stop repeating a certain behavior, you must replace it with a new behavior. If you don't, you're likely to revert to your old, unwanted behavior.
- For example, you can replace potato chips with celery or 10 push-ups.
- If you feel irritable quickly, try adopting a new habit of taking deep breaths before venting your anger.
Step 4. Write down your goals
After thinking about what behavior you want to stop and what will replace it, it's a good idea to write it down. It will remind you of what you want to achieve and can be checked at any time.
Try posting written goals where you can see them frequently and easily. For example, paste it in your work area or set a reminder on your phone
Step 5. Don't rush
Changing old habits is not an easy endeavor and it takes time. Successfully replacing old habits with new ones requires dedication. Follow the plan, stay positive, and achieve your goals.
- Habits can be changed in 15 to 254 days, depending on motivation, replacement behavior and number of repetitions.
- Remembering the purpose and benefits of the change will keep you motivated.
Step 6. Don't worry about setbacks
When trying to reach your goals and replace old behaviors with new ones, don't let setbacks hold you back. Setbacks can happen, but that doesn't mean you fail or have to quit. Learn from those setbacks and keep working towards your goals.
Setbacks can also be positive because they tell you what conditions or events pushed you back into old habits
Part 3 of 3: Making Changes
Step 1. Reflect on the changes you want to make
The first step in changing your behavior is to think carefully about the changes you want to make. Think about the benefits and possible difficulties.
- Make a detailed list of the benefits and positive aspects that your behavior change will bring.
- Carefully list all the difficulties you can think of. For example, anything that causes you to revert to an old behavior or prevents you from adopting a new habit.
- For example, increasing exercise can make you healthier but is hindered by a lack of time.
Step 2. Be prepared to meet obstacles
Before you take action and make changes, you must prepare yourself. The preparation phase includes a plan for dealing with all the obstacles in front of you that might get in your way of achieving your goals. With good preparation, the changes you want will be easier to achieve.
- The preparation phase prepares you to face the obstacles between you and your goals.
- For example, if you think the problem that's keeping you from increasing your exercise is a lack of time, you may need to reorganize your time or think of ways to exercise in your spare time.
Step 3. Start making changes
After thinking about what new behaviors you would like to work on and how to overcome obstacles, you can start taking action. In this step, the focus should be on tracking progress, overcoming obstacles, and rewarding the desired new behavior.
- Track progress to keep you motivated and aware of missteps.
- Think ahead to overcome obstacles. Avoid situations or events that will make you slip back into old behaviors.
- When the goal is achieved, you need to reward yourself. Try watching a favorite movie or taking a bath.
Step 4. Keep the changes
Once the old behavior has been successfully replaced with the new behavior you selected, you need to maintain it. Maintain the power of your actions and continue with the new attitude.
- If possible, try adding to the original destination. For example, if you initially wanted to stop avoiding exercise and become more active, continue to increase your exercise goals.
- Keep everything interesting. When maintaining a new behavior, try to do it in a different way to keep you motivated. For example, if you're trying to avoid junk food by eating healthy, keep learning new recipes.
- Stay positive and don't let setbacks get in your way. If you experience setbacks, learn from them, and move on toward your goals.
Tips
- Be patient while trying to reach the goal. Changing old behaviors is difficult and takes time.
- Think of obstacles ahead of time to prepare for them.
- Don't let setbacks stop you. Learn from that setback and use it as a tool to help success.
- The key is body and mind, what radiates outward (body) is what you allow in (mind).
